“14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’” Mark 1:14.

Since preachers following both the Revised Common Lectionary and Narrative Lectionary were in Mark this year, it seems appropriate to revisit these all-important words near the beginning of the gospel. July 1, 2024, also marks one year of me serving as bishop of the Northwest Intermountain Synod and I have been reflecting on the many ways I have seen the reign of God coming near all across our synod.

A synod is still a hard thing to wrap arms or words around. Who are we? What do we do? What is our role? When I get together with colleagues from other denominations we often laugh about this challenge—what is a middle judicatory (the organization between the local and national)? And, as I’ve written before, we all are the synod. A few of us make up the synod staff. Our governance happens through synod assemblies and synod council meetings.

In the Northwest Intermountain Synod, I find it helpful to begin with what it means to be Lutheran in our specific part of the world and in this time. We are not the only people who are rooted in and called to proclaim God’s abundant grace, but it is central to who we are and what we offer our worshiping communities and the larger communities in which we live. Relatedly, we interpret scripture with Jesus Christ at the center. More specifically, we interpret scripture with Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection at the center. We are both freed from sin and death and freed for loving our neighbor. This neighbor love takes on many beautiful expressions across our synod. The Lutheran movement started during the Reformation, and we are reforming still. The act of interpreting scripture (with our Lutheran hermeneutic) is ongoing and so we as the ELCA have social statements and messages that speak to our time. Though Luther is credited with starting the Reformation, which led to a splintering of Christianity, Lutherans today are deeply ecumenical. We are committed to working towards Christian unity for the sake of the gospel. My belief that our Lutheran lens and voice is of value in the Intermountain West has been confirmed by visiting so many of our ministry sites over the past year and hearing so many of your stories..

Central to a synod are its unique ministries, all related to the Lutheran identity described above. When we talked about collaboration as a Treasure Valley Cluster in Southern Idaho, we often asked, “What can we do better together that we cannot do on our own?” I mentioned these five Cs during the spring synod council meeting; alliteration can be a helpful:

Candidacy (the ELCA’s process for developing new pastors and deacons)

• Call Process (during a leadership transition)

• Campus Ministry (we financially support our three campus ministries)

• Companion Synod (our relationship with the Ulanga Kilombero Diocese of Tanzania)

• Connection (Using in-person visits, electronic newsletter, social media, Zoom series to help the synod staff and council connect with you and help you all connect with one another—connection and communication have been an emphasis this year)

 And someone on the synod council who was not me, which may be surprising, asked, “What about Camps?” Yes, indeed.

• Camps, our three outdoor ministries, are essential partners in the NWIM Synod.

 This past year, I have instinctively emphasized one more thing, though it starts with L:

• Leadership Development. Every time I received an email about a continuing education event, conference, seminar, webinar, gathering, I tried to recruit lay and/or rostered leaders to participate. Our outdoor ministry sites and campus ministries are essential partners in leadership development. Leadership development helps us start new ministries. Partnering with the Montana Synod’s Lay Ministry Associate program will be a key component to leadership development going forward. I have no idea what exactly the Holy Spirit is up to as the church transforms into its next iteration, but I know we will need dedicated, compassionate, and equipped lay leaders, pastors, and deacons.

Even though they are abundant, stories about people sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ through words and actions rarely make the headlines, so it can be easy to lose heart. And there is no doubt that the ELCA, the Northwest Intermountain Synod, and many local ministry sites will look and feel different in five more years, the end of this bishop-term. But the Holy Spirit is moving in our synod and the reign of God is breaking in. Of this I am sure because I have witnessed it all year long. Thank you for the honor of serving in this role.